80 BAFTZSZA. fto. u 



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ramified; but branches thin and with small leaves. 

 These leaves are alternate, and with three folioles 

 nearly sessile, obovate, smooth, of a bluish green j 

 stipules minute, evanescent, oblong, acute. — Flowers 

 bright yellow, in small loose spikes at the end of 

 branches, pea like, but smaller. — Calix campanulate 

 bilabiate, upper lip entire or notched, lower trifid.- 

 Stamina inclosed deciduous. — Pistil single and stipi- 

 tate, succeeded by a swelled oblong pod of a bluish 

 black color, with a row of small rattling seeds. 



History — This plant has the appearance of a 

 small shrub and broom : it blossoms in July and Au- 

 gust. The whole plant (even the flowers) often be- 

 come black in the fall or in a herbarium ; it dyes a 

 kind of blue like Indigo ; but greatly inferior. The 

 young shoots are eaten like those of Poke in New- 

 England, and are like it of a drastic nature. It is 

 often used to keep off the flies from horses, as these 

 insects appear to avoid it. 



Several other species grow in the Southern and 

 Western States, which have probably similar quali- 

 ties. The B. australis with large blue flowers, very 

 ornamental, grows on the banks of streams: the B- 

 nlba has white flowers, &c. These plants were an- 

 nexed to Saphom by Linnaeus, and to Podalyrin by 



other botanists, until properly separated by Vente- 

 nat, .&c. ■ 



I 



■ ^"Piis'a belongs to the great natural ord^r oiU- 

 CtJMiNosE plants, (bearing pods,) and to the section 

 Lomentaceom, having free stamina: also to DecAN- 

 DRiA monogynia of Lionaus. 



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